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Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

My baby is extremely fussy with a bottle. Many people, including myself, try to feed her under a variety of circumstances and with every nipple possible. The only successes are when she is basically asleep and is not aware that the nipple she is sucking on isn't a breast. How do we train her on a bottle? She is 2 months 1 week old. She wwill drink about 2 oz max after extreme fussing and crying and choking on the milk, and she will hold out as long as 6 hours for me! It is frustrating because I don't want to feed her in any other manner but the breast, but she is so breast savy that I can't leave her with anyone so that I can work. DO I need to just bite the bullet and feed her a daily bottle? Will that make the babysitters job easier? Is it one of those things that takes time? How long? Will she starve?

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

Actually, bottle refusal is a really common problem. I have a friend who actually weaned because of it- she needed to work and her baby would cry all day rather than take a bottle from his dad. The only thing to do is to keep trying- try different nipples, different bottles, different caregivers, diffent milk temperatures- and if you are storing milk in the freezer, taste-test the occasional bottle to make sure your milk doesn't have a lipase issue. (Excess lipase enzyme can cause stored milk to develop a soapy or metallic flavor.)

If you need your baby to take a bottle fairly often, then I do think a daily or at least frequent bottle is a good idea.

Don't be too shocked if your baby takes only 2 oz from the bottle. That's actually an average feeding for a breastfed baby. It's usually only formula-fed babies or breastfed babies who are mostly or exclusively fed with a bottle who take more than that. At a time.

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

I'm having the same problem, so I feel your pain!

I started pumping and having dad give our little guy a bottle at 1 month and that went fine. We would give him a bottle every 1 - 3 days and it was going fine until he was 10 weeks old. Now he cries when ever we put the bottle in his mouth. His dad and aunt try with no success and his grandma tried while I went to see a movie and it's still not working. We even went 8 hours today trying to get him to take a bottle, but he just flat out refuses and won't eat anything. The pressure is really on as I am back to work next week (and sadly I have to work as I am the one with insurance).

Would love to hear if you've had any success or if anyone else has any suggestions!

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

I have the same problem. My son is 13 weeks old and is flat out refusing the bottle. I will be going back to work in two weeks. We have tried the following:
My husband, gramma and different nannies try feeding him, with or without me in the house, different milk temperature and "freshly" pumped and frozen milk, different bottle feeding position, all to no avail. We noticed that he chokes and sputters even with the slow flow nipple.
Anyway it was suggested that we try the medela calma bottle as this simulates breastfeeding. Any thoughts?

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

My DD never fully accepted a bottle. Regardless, I had to go to back to work when she was 16 weeks old. The next few months were very stressful and full of anxiety for me, but we got through it by co-sleeping. She learned to reverse cycle and I basically dream nursed her all night long. I you think about it, there are babies out there (although certainly neither of mine) that start sleeping 8+ hours a night when they are about 12 weeks old. Those babies can go long stretches without nursing.

My mom and DH tried at least a dozen different bottles and nipples with her while I was away. The only ones she sort of accepted were natural latex ones from Playtex.

I still pumped three times a day at work to maintain my supply even though she never drank the majority of what I pumped.

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

thanks! yes i am out of the house whenever they (my husband, gramma and the nanny) try the bottle. I had never had any problems with my first born son, and was able to breastfeed him (and bottlefeed with pumped breastmilk) for a little over two years.
will try the playtex and then the medela calma bottles.

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

My LO is a reverse cycler. He's 7.5 months and still only takes 8-10 oz total in a 11-12 hr period I'm at work. I make sure to get in plenty of nursing session at night when I'm home. He snacks all day he's with the sitter; typically only taking 1-2 oz and then one feeding in the afternoon when he may take 3-4oz.

My friend's LO refused the bottle the entire 1st work she was back at work; then would nurse like crazy when mommy got home. She eventually accepted the Playtex bottle with the drop ins and latex nipples.

Re: Baby won't take bottle! Limits my ability to work

Originally Posted by @llli*galactica

also, anybody tried cup feeding? will this work on a 13 week old?

I have done cup feeding! actually my husband did, when I had a last minute appt and left him with expressed milk but forgot we don't have any bottles. I brought up the following video and wished him luck. it went great! Baby was maybe two months? I suppose it can work for any age but there could be a mess if you have a grabber, swaddling may help.